The Sea Princess

The Sea Princess was fabulous. The moment we boarded we could feel it in the air, a ship alive with the texture of possibilities.




We brought back great memories. Oh, and six pounds.

Where to start? This cruise was meant to be a relaxing holiday so we focused and relaxed. Extreme Relaxation: do nothing all day, then have a nap. That was us. It was so easy to get lulled into the easy pace of life on a cruise ship. A favourite passtime the first week was reclining on a lounge chair on the side deck watching the waves go by, book in hand. Ten minutes later the eyes grew heavy and we'd drift off to the Land of Nod.

Our first night in the dining room we were seated in a section of 3 tables. Ours was a table for 8, at which we were the sole occupants. There was also a table for 6 with one couple and a table for 4 with another couple. Soon it became evident that no one was coming to fill the empty seats at any of our tables.

"I feel like taking my glass of wine and going over to introduce myself," I said to Hans.

"Go ahead" he encouraged.

It seemed so silly, 3 couples each at their own table, all alone. So I went. Both couples were very friendly, also Canadian, and we decided we'd sit together for dessert. Clark and Deb, Hans and I joined Rocco and Pat at their table for 6. We hit it off and decided to remain a table for the rest of the cruise, letting the latecomers fend for themselves.

They envied us, they told us some days later, because we were always laughing and having so much fun.

In between naps Hans did laps around the deck and I took a stab at the Trivia Quiz on board. People had already formed groups and I was reluctant to push in so I played alone, sitting next to another woman also playing alone. Not only was she a complainer but she was a stupid complainer. How was she supposed to know the names of musicals? She never went to them. And besides, her answers were right. The quizzer's were wrong. So there. I stopped going and resumed my naptime on the deck.

"It's never taken me this long to read a book before," I said to Hans one day. "I sit down, read a page, glance up at the sea and let my eyes glaze over. Before I know it, I have drool coming out of my mouth."

"You snore too," he added, not unkindly. "But it's a gentle snoring."

Our stop at Princess Cays was cancelled due to choppy seas with 9' swells. The ship felt totally stable, but it was too dangerous to tender passengers to shore. In the distance we could see a frothy white line of surf pounding the beach. Even had we been able to get there it would have been too dangerous to snorkel with the risk of getting smucked into the rocks too high. Hans and I have been to Princess Cays island before and quite frankly, it's nothing special and we relished another day at sea. It gave us an opportunity to get more familiar with the ship and resume the stair climbing, which makes up a good portion of the walking on ship. Our cabin was on Deck 9 so it was 3 flights down to dinner (52 stairs, not that I was counting) and the pool we favoured was on deck 14 (really 13 and 64 stairs). Deck 7 has the Promenade with many of the public lounges, library, etc. and also the hypnotic side decks so conducive to sleep.

And so the first 2 days at sea drifted by in a kind of somnambulic haze.